The Power of the Creative Self in the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

Abstract

On the basis of Nietzsche’s concepts of the will to power and meaning, I have tried to show why the creative Self is, according to the philosopher, the ultimate proof of the greatest human power.

One of the most general characteristics of power is our increasing ability to appropriate the forces of the world around us. Hence, three major aspects of power emerge: the personal nature of this integration, the vast dimensions of the integrated world, and the surpassing of oneself which is the inevitable consequence of the two. But, contrary to the “archaic” man trying to impose his existence in the world through domination, making an impact only through the narrow, external, and fixed perspective of his will to power, a truly powerful man is able to master the forces of the world with all his being and all his sensitivity. Thanks to his own “artistic” and flexible force, he is capable of becoming deeply reunited with the world, allowing for the integration of a much larger spectrum of forces. As his own identity changes during this integration process, he is forced to surpass himself. By giving a new meaning to the world, he is also changing the meaning of his own existence. Such attitude and such power are characteristic of creative Selves.